A shutdown could reshape federal workforce. Here’s what’s changed

WASHINGTON —

The Office of Management and Budget issued a memo late Wednesday directing agencies to prepare for mass layoffs in the event of a government shutdown.

The shutdown could impact an already changing federal workforce. The federal government employed about 2.2 million workers nationwide in March, according to data from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management .

Washington, D.C., had the highest per capita of federal employees, with 20,200 employees per 100,000 residents, according to an analysis of the data by the Get the Facts Data Team.

While Washington, D.C., has the highest per capita, other states such as Maryland, Hawaii, Virginia and Alaska had more than 1,500 employees per 100,000 people in March. Connecticut had the lowest per capita, at 232 employees per 100,000